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Lazy Rich Interview

If you have been to a club in the past couple of years, chances are you have heard one of Lazy Rich’s massive electro tracks destroying the dancefloor. The Lazy Rich signature sound is recognized from it’s aggressively crunchy basslines, huge chord stabs, and bouncy beats, to it’s funky synth lines, complex edits, and huge anthem-like build-ups. The UK native now resides in Vancouver BC and spends most of his time managing his record label Big Fish Recordings, writing new original tracks and remixes, playing shows all around the globe, and even writing his own software, Label Engine (www.label-engine.com), which designed to help labels simplify the daunting tasks of accounting, royalty payouts, and track promotion. We were lucky enough to catch up with Rich a midst his busy schedule for some tips and tricks for all the producers out there.

5 Production tips from Lazy Rich

1. Sample packs are a great way to easily bring new ideas and depth into your track, but it’s very important that you know how to use them properly. I try to always change any samples I use before putting them in a track, even if it’s something as simple as pitch shifting or adding a delay.

2. Try to make sure that your track is always changing and evolving to keep the listener interested. I try to make sure that something changes every four bars, and I use uplifters and downlifters to build up to those change points and make them an interesting event.

3. I find a lot of drum loop samples found in sample packs to be too busy, a great way to make them more usable is to run a simple gate over them, this way only the loudest sounds from the sample will be included.

4. Never underestimate the importance of taking regular breaks in the studio – your ears get tired after prolonged exposure to the same music. I often find that if I’m struggling with a track, leaving it and then returning the next morning makes a huge amount of difference.

5. You should always start with the biggest and most powerful part of the track, as this is the focal point for any listener, and is the point in the track when the crowd should have their hands in the air! When starting a remix I have a very particular order that I do things in – first off I lay out all the elements contained in the sample pack and pick out those that I think will be useful. I will then work a short breakdown, adding new chords or melodies onto any vocals, followed by a build. Once the build is successful, this then gives me the perfect opportunity for taking a step back and thinking ‘what comes next’, as it gives you a reference with which to write your bassline, even if none of the elements from the sample pack are used at that point in the track.